The MotherChild Reunion: Buffy Anne Scott
by bjames238
Summary: What if you found out you'd been kidnapped as a baby and didn't even know you have a twin? Buffy Anne Scott was kidnapped as a baby from her real home in Tree Hill, North Carolina. Almost nineteen years later, she's reunited with that family. BtVSOTH
1. Chapter 1

**The Mother and Child Reunion**

_One Tree Hill_ post S4 "All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone" x/over w/ _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ S4 "The Freshman"

This is a respone to a challenge on Twisting the Hellmouth by Mr.Gordo called "The Mother & Child Reunion" Here is the challenge information:

We've all seen "Buffy meets her true Father." stories. Well how about some stories where Buffy is reunited with her true biological mother. Rather Buffy was adopted as a baby or kidnapped as part of some larger plot is up to the Author. I LIKE Joyce. And am not setting out to bash her. ( Unlike Hank who deserves heavy Bashing.) But frankly I always thought Buffy needed far more emotional support. Joyce as good a person as she was. Buffy didn't think Joyce was strong enough to deal with all the stress that was Buffy's life. So she started bottleing her emotions up. Buffy needed more of of a shoulder to lean on \ Cry on then she got. And because of that and Hank's abandonment. As time wore on the more emotionally repressed she became. The more she distanced herself from those around her. Became more Slayer and less Buffy. Some Mothers I'd personally love to see for Buffy:

Lorelei Gilmore. / CJ Craigg. / Olivia Benson / Janet Frasier. / Samantha Carter. / Dana Scully. / Monica Reyes. / Catherine Willows. / Sydney Bristow. / Martha Kent. But really anyone the author chooses as B's true mother is cool. romantic pairing for Buffy can be Fem slash or Het.

Tree Hill, North Carolina

Hank Summers raced down the highway in his car towards the airport. In his left arm he held a small infant while he drove with his right.

Once at the airport, he got his bags out of the car and nervously sped into the nearest line. The young baby girl he held gurgled sleepily, clutching the soft pink blanket around her. It was then that a letter on the blanket appeared within Hank's sight. It was a B. A dark pink, capital B sewn roughly on the blanket. He pulled the blanket off the child and shoved it into the duffel bag on his other shoulder.

The line kept moving and soon it was Hank's turn. The young, female clerk smiled politely at him from across the counter, "Hiya. How can I help you?"

Hank cleared his throat, nervously looking around, "Yeah, I need two ticks: one child and one adult."

"Children under two fly free," the clerk informed him.

"Okay then, just one adult," Hank pulled out his walled, "And make it first class."

Young, seventeen-year-old Karen Rowe sobbed into the soft, light-blue, blanket of her young son Lucas Eugene Scott. The five-month-old cried also in response to his mother's restlessness. Clutched in the hand that did not hold Lucas, Karen held a chunk of fabric from Lucas's blanket. On the chunk was a roughly-sewn, dark-blue, capital letter L.

The doorbell rang and Karen made her way over to the front door. Once open, she saw a tall, slightly overweight police officer holding a notepad and a pen, "Ms. Rowe?" Karen nodded, "I'm Officer Mitchell. We received your call. What seems to be the problem?"

"My daughter was kidnaped!" Karen sobbed, "I was giving my son a bath down the hall when I heard a noise on the baby monitor. I got my son out of the bath and went down the hall to check on my daughter and I saw a figure, bending over her crib."

"Did you see who it was?" Officer Mitchell said.

Karen shook her head, tears falling from her eyes, "No! And before I could even react the person picked up my daughter and jumped out of the window!" By this time, Karen was practically hyperventilating.

Officer Mitchell went up to Karen and put his hand on her shoulder, "It's okay, we're going to get your daughter back. But first I need you to tell me about your daughter. Her name, age, picture."

Karen nodded, holding Lucas close. She went over to the wall, picking up a picture of two children. She went back to the officer, "This is my daughter, Buffy Anne Scott. She's five months old, my son Lucas's twin." Officer Mitchell took the picture, "She's got curly blonde hair and she's very quiet." Karen heaved a huge sob, "Please find her," More tears rushed out, "Please . . ."

Officer Mitchell nodded, "We're going to do everything we can to find your daughter, Ms. Rowe. I'm going to call in some back up. Is there someone I can call who can stay with you?"

"The twins' uncle, Keith Scott. His number is on the fridge," Karen replied.

"Okay," Officer Mitchell said, "I'm going to call Mr. Scott and have an officer stay with you until he can get here." Karen nodded, hugging Lucas tight.

Los Angeles, California

Joyce Summers held the tissue up to her nose and blew, tears falling down her dry, pale face. She coughed hoarsely, pulling the afghan closer to her. Across the room, the television softly crooned the voices of the local newscasters. It was dark outside, the sun having gone down hours ago. Joyce coughed again, depositing the soiled tissue into a nearby wastebasket. The cough worsened and she hastily grabbed another tissue, holding it to her mouth. Once the horrid hacking had ceased she pulled back the tissue and saw . . . a few drops of blood. The tears increased and Joyce pulled the blanket over her head and sobbed.

Suddenly the lock on the door clicked and the knob turned. A few seconds later a man walked in. Joyce lifted back the blanket. It was her husband, Hank Summers. He was home from his business trip.

"Hi honey, I'm home!" Hank rang out, "How are you feeling?"

Joyce sniffled in response, coughing.

"I see," Hank said, "Well, I have something to cheer you up. Or rather, someone."

"What?" Joyce sat up.

"Well, while I was down in Martinsville, Virginia on my way to Richmond I came across an adoption agency for young children."

Joyce's heart skipped a beat.

"I went in, just to look around, and found the most adorable and perfect little girl." It was then that Joyce heard a noise coming from Hank's arms, "I knew you would love her too so I just adopted her, right then and there."

A great big smile erupted on Joyce's face despite the pain and congestion in her lungs. She so desperately wanted a little girl of her own but because of the chemotherapy to get rid of the tumor in her brain she was not able to conceive.

"She's five months old and the people at the agency told me that she was abandoned by her young, teenage mother at the hospital," Hank dropped his coat and luggage and went over to his ailing wife on the couch. He knelt down beside Joyce, uncovering the young girl's face from the orange blanket she was wrapped in, "Her name is Buffy Anne."

Joyce exhaled sharply the moment she laid eyes on the infant. She had soft blonde hair and bright green eyes. She was the most adorable infant Joyce had ever seen. And now, this infant was her daughter.

Things were definitely going to be better from now on . . .

Tree Hill, North Carolina a few months later . . .

Karen held a tissue to her mouth as she stood on the hill facing the small, stone headstone. Beside her, her long time friend Keith Scott held on to her shoulders. Across from the two of them an elderly priest spoke the traditional ceremony for a funeral.

The police had not been able to find any trace of Karen's daughter Buffy. She'd simply vanished. After lost hope and too many disappointments, Karen had decided to let Buffy finally rest and held an empty-casket funeral for her. Keith had told her it would also help her move on and still be there for the only child she had left, Buffy's twin brother Lucas.

She didn't know if she'd ever see Buffy again, but she needed to be strong for her son and make sure nobody ever took him away from her.

Sunnydale, California a little under nineteen years later . . .

Buffy Anne Summers yawned as she opened the front door of the house she lived in with her mother Joyce Summers. She was eighteen years old, nineteen in a few weeks, and about to start her freshman year of college at the University of Sunnydale.

"Mom, I'm home!" Buffy went in and set down her house keys on the table beside the door, "Mom?" She'd just gotten done with a slay patrol with her best friend Willow Rosenberg at one of the many nearby cemeteries. Buffy was what was called a 'Vampire Slayer.' There was only one girl in every generation who became Slayer. The job of a slayer was to slay all of the supernatural forces of darkness that threatened to destroy the innocent people of the world. Mom?" She called out again. The house was not dark, but the only lights Buffy could see was the upstairs hall light. "Mom?"

A cough echoed from within the house, "I'm upstairs, honey." Buffy cringed. Her mother's voice was hoarse again.

She sighed and climbed the stairs to her mother's room. The door was partially open and the light was on. She pushed the door open and slowly went in.

Just recently Buffy and her mom had found out that her cancer, which she'd been in remission for the past ten years, had come back. The doctors weren't sure yet how long she had this time or if they could get it out this time. Buffy's earliest memories was of her mother being sick and her parents fighting all the time. Then shortly after Buffy turned fifteen and found out she was the slayer her parents had separated. By the time she'd turned sixteen and had been expelled from school for blowing up the gymnasium (of course, what the Los Angeles Police Department hadn't know was that there were at least a dozen or so vampires infesting the gym of Hemery High School) her parents had officially divorced. Shortly after the divorce had been finalized, Buffy and her mother moved to Sunnydale for a fresh start.

She'd met her new watcher Giles and then Xander Harris and his best friend Willow Rosenberg and together the four of them fought the forces of darkness. Later the annoyingly-popular Cordelia Chase and mellow, werewolf-guitarist Daniel Osbourne (a.k.a. Oz) joined them too. Cordelia, who had dated Xander but were now broken up had left after graduation. None of them really knew where she was now. And Willow was still dating Oz.

"Hey mom," Buffy said quietly as she pushed over the door and went into her mother's bedroom. She saw her mother sitting in bed, leaning against the headboard. A blanket was curled up around her and she held an art magazine in her hands, "How are you feeling?"

Her mother sighed, "That headache came back and brought some friends along with it."

"When's your doctor's appointment?" Buffy asked.

"Tomorrow," Joyce answered, setting the magazine down, "How was patrol with Willow?"

Buffy frowned, gently sitting on the bed beside her mother, "Fruitless. The stupid vampire never rose. But I did decide on the classes I want though. Willow helped me."

"That's good," Joyce replied in her typical motherly tone. However this time Buffy could sense something else. A tone, a particular tone she had not heard in a long time.

"Mom, what's wrong? Did the doctor call?" Buffy's senses immediately went on high alert.

"No, nothing like that," Joyce shook her head.

"But there is something," Buffy tensed up.

Joyce nodded, "I'm afraid so, honey." Joyce took her daughter's hand and held it in her own, "I did receive a phone call but it was not from the doctor." _Uh-oh_ Buffy thought, _that doesn't sound good_. "It was from the police."

_Whoa, totally unexpected._

"The police . . ." Buffy was dumbfounded.

"Yes," Joyce sighed, "Remember when I told you a couple of months ago that your father had moved to Spain?"

Buffy nodded, "With his secretary."

"Well, the police told me that they, well, they found your father dead."

"Wait, what?" Buffy's eyes went wide. _What the frijole was going on?_

Joyce took a deep breath, nodding, "There's more." Time seemed to have stopped and Buffy sat still. "The police found some things in his apartment that they felt I-we-should know about." Joyce stopped. A tear felt from both her eyes. She looked up at Buffy, "Remember when you were fourteen and your father and I told you that you were adopted but we still loved you?"

"Yeah," Buffy replied, "You said that because of the chemo you couldn't have a baby so you and dad decided to adopt."

"That's right," Joyce nodded, "However, it seems that neither of us were told the truth all these years."

"What are you talking about?" Buffy was starting to get worried.

"The police found a pink baby blanket, a bunch of new articles, and a forged birth certificate in a false bottom in one of your father's drawers." Joyce told her, "The officer I spoke with told me the articles were of a kidnaping case over in North Carolina about the same time we adopted you." Joyce put a tissue up to her mother. As soon as Buffy heard the word 'kidnaping' her heart skipped a beat. Joyce sniffled, "It appears from what the officer told me that your father lied about where he got you from."

Buffy stared into space, her brain momentarily numb.

"Buffy, honey," Joyce continued to sniffled, "Your father Hank kidnaped you from a home in North Carolina and lied to me-to you-about it." Tears fell from Buffy's own eyes. "Baby, you've got a family in North Carolina who don't even know you're still alive."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Mother and Child Reunion**

_One Tree Hill_ post S4 All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone x/over w/ _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ S4 The Freshman

Part 2

Three weeks later Buffy walked down the streets of a small town in North Carolina. Buffy had called the officer back and after she found out about her family and the officer had told her everything; He told her about the case and gave her the named and address of her biological mother. Her real mother lived in Tree Hill and her name was Karen Rowe. Beyond that, Buffy knew nothing of her real family. But she was about a block away from Karen Rowe's house so she'd have her answers soon.

At last she came upon the house where Karen Rowe lived. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest. Step by step she climbed the porch to the front door . Within moments of knocking, the door opened.

It was a girl, a blonde girl, who couldn't have been much older than Buffy herself. The girl had curly blonde hair with dark strands that was just past her shoulders. She was tall and slim too. _Could she be my sister?_ Buffy thought. "Hi!" The curly blonde was very cheerful. She was smiling as if she'd just been laughing the moment before.

"Hi," Buffy replied, awestruck. Her mouth hung open and she couldn't move.

"Can I . . . help you?" the curly blonde raised her eyebrows.

Buffy blinked, "Oh. Yeah." She cleared her throat, "I'm - Is Karen Rowe here?"

The curly blonde shook her head, "No, not at the moment." Buffy sighed, "May I ask who's . . . asking?"

"That's okay," Buffy shook her head, "I'll just come back later."

"You sure?" the blonde said. Buffy nodded, "'Cause if you just give me your name I can pass it on to Karen when she gets home."

"No, it's fine," Buffy turned to leave.

"Are you sure?" the blonde yelled after Buffy. Buffy kept walking, ignoring the other blonde's call.

Peyton Sawyer stood at the Scott door, looking out at the small, short blonde who'd asked for Karen.

"Peyt, who was it?" Came the should from inside the house. It was Lucas Scott, Peyton's boyfriend and Karen's son.

"No one," Peyton sighed, closing the door behind her and walked back into the house. Once back inside the living room, she sat back down on the couch next to her boyfriend, "Is Lily still asleep?" Peyton asked of Lucas's little sister.

"Yeah," Lucas nodded, "I checked on her while you answered the door. She's fast asleep." Peyton leaned into his shoulder.

"Luke, did your mom hire someone new at the Café?" Peyton asked.

"Not that I know of," Lucas replied, "Why?"

"There was a girl at the door, a blonde girl. She looked about our age and she was asking for your mom."

Lucas shrugged, "Maybe my mom is interviewing nannies for when we start college in a few weeks.""Maybe," Peyton said, though she wasn't so sure. Lucas grabbed the remote and they continued watching their movie, "

Later that night Buffy walked back down the same street to get to her biological mother's house. It was around five in the afternoon, the sun going down.

It had been puzzling her day long as to who had answered the door at Karen Rowe's house. Plus the fact that Karen had not been there hadn't helped her nerves at all. How do you tell someone that you are the kid that had been kidnaped from them eighteen years earlier?

She really hoped Karen would be home now. As nervous as she was, she was also anxious to meet her real mom. And hey, she might have some other siblings too. Like that blonde at the door.

Once again Buffy went up to the front door and knocked on the door.

A few seconds later the door opened and a woman appeared, a little girl in her arms. The woman had short, curly, dark-brown, hair. The little girl who couldn't even be a year old, had wavy brown hair with blonde streaks.

The woman stared at Buffy, her eyes wide and mouth open. She didn't say a word. There was just something about her that was so familiar.

"Hi," Buffy held up her hand, waving, "I'm looking for Karen Rowe. Is she here?"

The woman continued to stare at Buffy, particularly at her face: her eyes, her face, "Oh my god . . ."

"Is Karen here? 'Cause I was here earlier and a girl answered. She said Karen wasn't here. But I thought I'd try again because it's really important that I talk to her," Buffy was getting really impatient and she wasn't sure she liked the way this woman was staring at her.

"Name," the woman blurted out, "Your name. What's your name?" The woman spoke breathlessly.

The way the woman talked . . . the way she looked . . . so familiar. "Buffy." Buffy held her breath. As soon as the word was out, the woman gasped, "My name is Buffy. Is Karen here? Are _you_ Karen?"

The woman nodded anxiously, "I can't believe you're here . . . after so long . . ."

"You know who I am," Buffy observed. Karen nodded.

"Come in," Karen gestured, giggling nervously and moving out of the way. Buffy followed Karen into the house and Karen shut the door behind them. As soon as the door was closed, Karen enveloped Buffy into a fierce, loving hug. Buffy could feel tears drop onto her shoulders from Karen's eyes. The little girl on Karen's hip yawned tiredly, "You're home. You're really here . . . My little girl is finally home . . ."

Buffy, crying herself, hugged Karen back, "Yes, I'm home . . ."


	3. Chapter 3

Part Three

**Part Three**

_"Yes, I'm home . . ."_

Buffy sat on a recliner in Karen Rowe's living room, holding a warm cup of tea. Across from her Karen Rowe sat on the couch, a cup of tea in her own hands. The little girl who had been in Karen Rowe arms was now sitting on a blanket on the floor playing with numerous toys around her.

"Wow, Karen breathed, repeating a word she said at least a dozen times in the fifteen minutes Buffy had been in her house, "I"m sorry if I'm acting so strange. This is just so . . . surreal. I mean I carried you for nine months, I took care of you for five months, I mourned for you for nineteen years . . . and you're here. You're here, in my house, drinking tea. And . . . you're so beautiful." Karen took a sip of tea, "But I can still see that little girl I got to know so long ago . . ." Buffy nodded, feeling a bit awkwardly.

This was all so weird to Buffy. She didn't know how to handle any of this. She had a mother, one who actually raised her for nineteen years. A woman she got to know and trust . . . and Karen Rowe was not that woman. So where would the woman with whom she shared her DNA fit? This was all so confusing . . .

"Can I ask a few questions? About my . . . about your family?" Buffy looked up.

"Um-sure, of course," Karen actually seemed excited, "Anything."

"What happened? How did my fath-how did Hank do it?" Buffy said.

Karen took a deep breath, "You want to know about the day that you were kidnaped." Buffy nodded, "First you should know something about you." Karen stood up and went over to a coffee table. She picked up a picture frame and sat back down. She looked at the photo a few moments before offering it to Buffy. It was a guy ith blonde hair and a soft, quiet smile, "That is your brother--your twin brother. His name is Lucas."

Buffy exhaled, "Brother?"

Karen nodded, "Yes. Lucas is, well, the same age as you, of course. And, he doesn't know about you. Nobody knows about you, except for me and your uncle Keith." Buffy set the frame on the coffee table in front of her. "The day you were kidnaped was the worst day of my life. Nothing since has ever been the same. The day you were stolen from me I felt . . . I don't know it felt like a piece of my heart was ripped off. Have you ever felt that way?"

Buffy felt a slight tug at her own heart for someone she lost . . . Angel. Angel was the man who'd stolen her heart even though his own didn't beat. Angel was a 200-plus-year-old vampire with a soul who was earning his redemption by defeating his own kind to save the race he'd long not been a part of. But he'd also broken her heart by leaving her to go to Los Angeles. And now she was alone . . .

"Buffy? Karen said.

"What? Oh . . ." Buffy looked up, "Sorry. Just thinking about some things. Continue."

"Right," Karen said, "After . . . that day I kept hoping that someday, somehow, you would come back to me. The police searched and searched . . . but about seven or eight months later they, along with your uncle, convinced me to let you go. I held a private, closed-casket funeral and lived painfully though each day. It was hard . . . but I never lost hope. And . . . here you are."

"Yep, Buffy said, "Here I am." She looked to the little girl on the floor, "And who's this little girl?"

The little girl turned and looked at Karen. Karen smiled and gestured for the child to come over to her. Once the child crawled over to him, Karen lifted her onto her lap, "This . . . is Lily. Lily is your and Lucas half-sister. Her father is your uncle, your father brother. She was born last May."

"Where is my father? Does he live here too?" Buffy asked.

Karen's face contorted mysteriously, "Mom, we're home!" the door opened and a voice rang out. Two people walked in the room . . . Lucas and the blonde girl who'd answered the door that morning.

"Hey kids," Karen greeted warmly. The two nodded.

"What's up? Lucas said. He and the girl he was with sat down on the couch to the left of Buffy.

"There's someone I want you to meet," Karen gestured to Lucas and the girl, "Lucas, Peyton, this is Buffy. Buffy, this is Lucas and his girlfriend Peyton." Buffy waved. Lucas and Peyton looked confused.

"Is she the new nanny for Lily?" Lucas said.

"No," Karen released a deep sigh, "She's not a nanny for Lily. Buffy held her breath, "Buffy is . . . Lucas, Buffy is your twin sister."

Lucas's eyes went extremely wide and Peyton's jaw dropped. Lucas looked back and forth between Karen and Buffy, "What. . .!"

To Be Continued . . .

I know this chapter was short but I just wanted to submit it. I'm still working on the rest and it will be coming soon but it's taking forever so bear with me.


	4. Chapter 4

Part Four

**Part Four**

The ball bounced up and down repeatedly as Lucas ran up and down the court. He could hear the river flow next to the court as he jumped up and shot the ball into the hoop.

His heart pounded furiously and he stopped, holding the ball between his side and his arm. He took deep, deep breaths, bending over with his free hand on his chest.

"You okay?"

He continued to take deep breaths as he looked up. He was greeted with the face of a concerned blonde.

Lucas stood up, continuing to inhale as he made his way over to the blonde. As soon as they were close enough, she pulled him into her arms and hugged him tight.

"Is it your heart? How long have you been playing?" She kissed him, still holding him tight.

"I'm okay, Peyton," Lucas told his girlfriend, "I'm okay."

"Well, don't scare me like that. First you run out of your mom's like a crazy person and then I find you hunched over in pain. You know that if you play too long your HCM could give you a heart attack," Peyton said.

"I know the _boundaries_ of my condition, Peyton," Lucas said, "I don't need a reminder." He pushed her away and went over the picnic table to sit down.

Peyton sighed, "Well . . . obviously you don't." Lucas rolled his eyes, "Seriously though, what's the matter?" 

He snorted, "You have to ask?"

"No, don't you do that," Peyton said, "We both know that when something is wrong with one of us we bottle it up and yell at everyone around us." Going up to him, she knelt down. "But I know what you're doing so you can't. I know all of your tricks." She placed her hand over his heart. "So just tell me what's wrong."

Lucas sighed, taking more deep breaths. He looked up, his eyes meeting hers, "I just can't believe she never told me. It's been 18 years and not a word." His eyes vacated into his pain0filled brood mode. "She's been lying to me for my _entire _life. . ."

"Your mom? Peyton said.

Lucas nodded, "I've had a sister—a twin—and she never told me."

"I'm sure Buffy feels the same way. She was kidnaped—liked to just like you. She's never had the chance to know her real mom like you did, Lucas."

"I know," He sighed, "I just feel _so_ betrayed right now."

"It'll get easier, you'll see," Peyton held on to his hand, "Our senior year of high school, last year, when I found out about Ellie being my really mom I felt betrayed too. I hated my dad so much for not telling me I was adopted. And even though my mom died when I was eight, I hated her too for dying and leaving me alone and never telling me the truth when she was alive."

"I just don't understand why she didn't tell me," Lucas said, "She's had so many chances."

"Maybe it was just too painful for her," Peyton suggested, "Maybe it hurt for her to talk about the daughter she lost. Did you think of that?"

"No . . ."

"Why don't you go talk to her?" Peyton stood up and he followed suite, "Tell her how you feel. Talk to Buffy too. It might help you understand what she's gone through." He nodded. She lay her hand on his cheek. "You okay now?"

"Yeah," Lucas said, "Thanks, Peyt. What would I do without you?"

"I dunno . . ." Peyton smiled, "Live a horrible, loveless life where nothing matters?"

Lucas chuckled, "Probably."

Peyton held out her hand, "Come on. Let's go back to your house."

He sighed and took her hand. They strolled on to his house . . .

Six days later . . .

"Hi Mom . . . just checking in. Guess you're not at home right now. How are you feeling? If you're anywhere, it better be the doctor's. So . . . I'm in Tree Hill. Um . . . Karen's really nice. And guess what? I have a brother and a sister! The brother is my twin and his name is Lucas. He's got blonde hair—like me—and he's really tall—not so much like me. Like . . . _really_ tall. He reminds me of Angel with the brooding though . . . My sister is just my half-sister. Her dad is my uncle. She's not even a year old yet. Her name is Lily and she's got dark hair. She's so adorable! Oh, and my brother has a girlfriend too. Her name's Peyton. At first I thought she was my sister because of her blonde hair too . . . but she's not. She's really nice . . . I take it that she's had a pretty hard and complicated life, though. Well, I guess I should go. Love you Mom! Keep me updated!"

Buffy sighed and hung up the payphone that was in the café that Karen owned.

She'd been in Tree Hill for six days now. Did she like it? Honestly . . . it wasn't that much different from Sunnydale. The only difference was the weather. The atmosphere though . . . Tree Hill was hostile and gossip-y and Sunnydale was . . . well everyone in Sunnydale was in denial and they were . . . sunny—kind of.

She hadn't lied in the message to her mom. She really like Karen, _really_ really. Karen was kind, caring, funny, understanding . . . and she was so pretty! Lucas though . . . Buffy wasn't so sure about him yet. He was very . . . what was the right word? Hmm . . . intense just didn't seem to cover it. Broody was a better word, she supposed. She hadn't talked much to Peyton yet, but the girl reminded her a lot of herself.

Buffy walked down the hall and out into the main room of the Café. Karen was behind the counter with a customer. As Buffy walked by, Karen waved. Buffy plastered on the most convincing smile she could as she waved back. She went over to the far corner of the Café and sat at a table—the only table that wasn't already occupied. She sighed and stared at the wall, thinking about how simple her life had been at one time.

"Excuse me?" Buffy turned, seeing a younger man about her age walk up to her. He looked at the empty chair across from Buffy. "Would you mind if I sit down?"

"N-no . . ." Buffy shook her head. The man (well, "boy", if one wanted to get technical) was a little taller than Buffy. He had short, brown, spiked hair and a smile that would make a girl melt. He wore a dark green sweater with a high collar, blue jeans, and tennis shoes.

As he sat down, he continued smiling at Buffy, "Thanks."

"It's no problem," Buffy said.

"So . . ." the man/boy said, looking around, "Do you come here a lot?" He was still smiling.

"Not really," Buffy replied, "I just got in town a few days ago and I'm not sure how long I'm staying."

"Oh," he nodded (still smiling).

Buffy looked over at Karen and saw that she was talking to a different customer now. She sighed.

"I just got into town myself," he told her, "I've been living in Georgia for the past year and a half." 

Buffy nodded as if to say, 'That's nice'.

"What about you? Where're you from?" He asked.

"Um . . ." Buffy said, not sure if she should be pouring her heart out to a guy she'd just met. So, she decided to be general, "California."

"Hmm," he raised his eyebrows, chuckling, "You know, I was just going to guess that."

Buffy pulled her head back, "Was that an insult? Are you implying something . . .?"

"No!" He said quickly, I was just saying that you look like you're from California." Buffy was not impressed with that comment, "No, I'm not saying that you look nice. You're very, um, pretty."

Buffy was skeptical about this one. He'd started out to be a really nice guy but Buffy wasn't so sure what to make of the last few comments.

"Uh, I didn't mean to insult you," he said, "I'm just trying to say that you _look_ nice."

"Right . . ." she still wasn't convinced.

"Okay, at the risk of insulting you twice, I'm going to go," he said. Buffy watched in awe as he just got up and left.

As he disappeared out the door, Karen came up to her, "Who was that?"

"Don't know," Buffy shrugged, "He didn't even tell me his name."

"Wow," Karen said.

"Yeah . . ." Buffy continued to watch the door where the guy had left, "He sure was cute though . . ."

T.B.C. . . .

A.N. Hmmm . . . who was that mysterious smiling man? Could he be Buffy's new love interest? Or will she somehow find her way back to Angel? Well . . . guess you all will have to just wait for the next installment . . .


	5. Chapter 5

The Mother and Child Reunion  
One Tree Hill post S4 All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone x/over w/ Buffy the Vampire Slayer S4 The Freshman

Part Five:

Author's Note:

So . . . here it is. The much-anticipated next installment—Chapter 5. I had planned on making this chapter much longer but when I got to a certain point it just felt like the chapter was over. I realize I've lapsed on submitting chapters for this fic—for all of my fics, actually—and for that I am sorry. A strange occurrence has happened ... it seems like it was easier to write during the school year when I was actually supposed to be doing homework. Oh well. School starts in a few weeks so I guess we'll see what happens. Though I am a senior this year and actually plan on graduating so doing my homework might actually help.

Anyway . . . here's chapter five and I hope you all thoroughly enjoy. Any questions/comments/etcetera put it in a review and I'd be more than happy to clear anything up.

"Buffy, I can't believe you. You've only been there for hardly a week and you've already met a guy," Willow Rosenberg said on the other line in Sunnydale.

"I know!" Buffy held the phone to her ear while laying on the couch in Karen's living room—the place she'd been staying while in Tree Hill. "He just came and sat at my table in Karen's Café and started talking to me."

"Was he cute?" Willow said.

"Truth?" Buffy switched to phone to her other ear, "If I were to put him on a scale from 1 to 10 . . ." She sat up, "Well . . . let's put it this way: He'd be off the charts."

"Wow," Willow said.

"Yeah . . ." Buffy wanted desperately to change the subject, "So . . . how's everything back in Sunnydale?"

"Actually . . . kind of the same as always. You know, though, college starts in a few days, Buffy. Don't you, ah, think you should be coming back now?"

"I know," Buffy sighed, "It's just that there's a family here I'm supposed to belong to and I never even knew it. I kind of just wanna stay here and get to know them. Have them get to know me."

"What about Sunnydale? Slaying? Your mom? Giles?" Willow said.

"School'll still be there . . . when I come back. And I won't be here forever so my mom won't be alone for long," Buffy said, "And slaying . . . you can handle it while I'm gone. You have before. Plus if anything major happens I'll be on the first flight back."

"I guess," Willow didn't sound convinced.

"I have a _family_ here, Wil," Buffy tried to make her best friend understand, "People who thought I was dead. People who care about me more than my—then Hank ever did." She took a deep breath. "I just want to get to know them."

"Just don't forget that you have family here too," Willow's voice was small, "And I don't just mean your mom, either."

"I know," Buffy said, "I'm coming back. I will. I just . . . it's really hard to make you understand what I'm going through, what I'm feeling. I just . . . I don't know anymore."

"It's okay," Willow said.

"No, it's not," Buffy said, "I can't be in two places at once . . . but I _want_ to be in two places at once. I want to be with my mom and you guys and go to college and I want to get to know Karen and Lucas and Lily and Peyton . . . but I can't." Buffy sniffled back tears. "And I'm scared, Wil. I've been through this cancer stuff with my mom my whole life . . . but this time feels different."

"She'll be okay," Willow tried to assure her.

"I don't . . . I don't think I can live with her Wil. I just . . . everything's changing so fast . . . and I don't know if I can catch up . . ." She began to sob, unable to hold it in any longer.

Karen stood just outside the living room of her home, carrying a sleeping Lily on her shoulder.

She'd come home from Lily's checkup at the pediatrician's office and heard Buffy talking on the phone. She'd heard it all. The cancer, the wanting to be in two places at once, the tears . . . especially the tears. Karen's long-lost little girl was in horrible emotional pain.

She wanted to go in there and hold Buffy tight, rocking her and telling her it would be alright. She wanted to personally get rid of all Buffy's pain to create a perfect painless world for the little girl she hadn't been able to raise.

But Karen of all people knew that a perfect painless world was not a possibility.

In this world Buffy already had a mother to hold her and comfort her. In this world Karen had believed her daughter to be dead for the past nineteen years and didn't know how to deal with the present situation. In this cruel and unforgiving world, Karen's little girl who wasn't so little any more was hurting and had been handed a life that wasn't hers—a life where the only mother she'd ever known was sick and possibly dying.

It tore Karen's heart to watch the scene before her—Buffy hanging up the phone and collapsing on the couch in tears.

A tear fell from Karen's eye and landed on Lily's shoulder. The young child remained asleep, oblivious to her mother's despair over watching her older sister's pain.

In a perfect world Karen would be able to shield all three of her children from the unbearable things of this imperfect one they were all stuck with.

But she couldn't.

Lily wasn't even three years old and she'd already been faced with a tragedy—her father was taken from her, murdered by her uncle, before she was even born.

Lucas lost his dream of playing professional basketball when he'd found out he had a heart condition called HCM—a condition inherited from the father he hardly knew and absolutely hated.

And Buffy . . . she'd been lied to about who her family was and was losing the only mother she had ever known.

Karen may not be able to shield her children from pain and heartbreak but she was going to fight like hell to ensure that the pain stopped.

Buffy awoke to the sound of what seemed like a blender. Her red, puffy, tear-stricken eyes were gunked shut and she had to rub them just to see anything.

It was still light out but some pink and orange light shone through the windows from the early-evening sunset. Buffy sat up and rubbed her eyes a little more. Getting up, she straightened her grey sweats and pink spaghetti-strap tank top and headed to the kitchen.

Lily sat in her high chair, a bowl of orange baby food in front of her and a blue baby spoon tight in her fist. The toddler hit the highchair table top over and over with the spoon. Buffy was fairly certain that she could see specks of orange in the child's hair.

"Good afternoon," Karen appeared from behind the refrigerator door holding a carton of milk, "Did you have a pleasant afternoon nap?"

"Ah . . . yeah. Thanks," Buffy yawned, "I guess it's still jet lag from the plane ride last week."

"Right," Karen nodded, pouring some of the milk into a sippy-cup for Lily.

"So, ah . . . where's Lucas? Does he, um, have a job or something?" Buffy asked.

"Well, he used to work at a, um, mechanics shop but, ah, that . . . closed. Sort of. It's kind of a long story. Now . . . he works at my café every once and a while when I'm short-handed." Karen told her. There was something—a tone, maybe?—in Karen's voice that was familiar and perhaps a little sorrowful . . .

"Oh," Buffy said.

"I think he's at the Rivercourt," Karen said, "Or he might be out with Peyton or one of his friends."

"Thanks . . ." Buffy turned to go get dressed but turned back, "I mean it, thanks for everything. Thanks for taking me in, for talking to me. And . . . thanks for not giving up hope all these years that I would come back. It's, um, nice to know that you care. It's nice to have someone besides my mom to count on. My d–Hank was never really there for me . . . at all really. It seems he'd always disappear right when Mom got sicker . . . but it feels nice not to have to be the adult all the time. Even my mom . . . she's tried but I think the cancer's taken all her strength away over the years. And I have my friends . . . but it's, um, not the same."

Karen was beyond words.

"I, ah, just wanted to let you know that," Buffy said before silently leaving the room.On her way out, her Slayer-hearing heard Karen whisper "You're welcome."

"Hey," Lucas stopped bouncing the ball and looked up. There was another blonde walking up to him . . . only this time it wasn't his girlfriend. "You mind if I join you?"

"You play?" Lucas asked Buffy, holding the ball out toward her.

"Not really . . . but I used to be a cheerleader and have watched my fair share of basketball games," Buffy smiled, "Does that count?" Lucas shook his head, laughing. "Actually . . . I was hoping we could just sit and talk . . . you know—brother to sister."

"Um . . . sure," Lucas set the ball down and they both sat on the picnic table next to the court, "What do you want to talk about?"

"You . . . actually. You've kinda been elsewhere all the time since I got here. I just, you know, wanted to know how you feel about all this. Are you okay with this . . . or do you wanna strangle me in my sleep?"

"Well . . ." Lucas took a deep breath, digging his hands into the front pocket of his grey 'Keith's Auto-Shop' hooded sweatshirt. "To be honest . . . I have no idea. The closest thing to family I've have my whole life was my mom, my uncle Keith, and my friends. Until recently I'd never had a sister and didn't know how to handle one."

"Me either," Buffy said, "Until I found out about you and Karen and Lily I was pretty much an only child. I had friends but they weren't really the same as family."

"Did you know, though, that your parents weren't your, um real parents?"

"When I was fourteen they told me I was adopted, sure. But my mom didn't even know what Hank had done. Not that Hank was ever really around though . . ." Buffy said.

"My dad was never around either. In fact I just met him like two years ago," Lucas said.

"Your dad . . . I guess that would make him our dad," Buffy said.

"Kind of . . . but not really. Biologically, yes, but trust me . . . you don't want to get mixed up with him," Lucas's expression changed into something Buffy couldn't quite put her finger on. It was the same tone and expression Karen had had before when Buffy asked her if Lucas had a job, "No . . . my–our–uncle—Keith Scott—was always there for me and Mom. But he . . . um . . . died last year."

"Oh . . . I'm so sorry," Buffy said, "How'd it happen?"

"It's a long story . . ." Lucas appeared to be dodging Buffy's question.

"Look, I don't mean to pry or anything but I'm just asking," Buffy said.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Lucas got up, grabbed the basketball . . . and left. Leaving Buffy confused and speechless on the Rivercourt, wondering what she'd said wrong.

_fin_

P.S. Not much about Buffy's mysterious smiling potential love interest but that'll come in future chapters. I felt that I needed to explore the estranged relationship with Buffy and her new family as well as with Joyce, Hank, and the Scooby Gang. Well that and stay just a little truer to the original challenge.

Hopefully the next chapter will come sooner than this one did!!


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6:

"Okay, what'd you do?"

Lucas knew the owner of the voice but didn't look up. He was knelt down in front of Keith's grave, on hand on the stone and the other tracing his uncle's name.

A pair of arms wrapped around his waist and the chin belonging to those arms rested on his back. "You always come here to think . . ."

He turned his head to face her, "Peyton, I don't want to talk about it."

"Of course you don't, babe . . . but you'll feel better when you do. Promise," Peyton kissed him.

He certainly coudn't argue with that. They knew each other so well . . . and besides, how could he deny such a pretty face?

"I kind of . . . yelled at Buffy," Lucas sighed.

"Oh, Luke . . ." Peyton hugged him.

"I didn't mean too," Lucas said, "But she was just asking so many questions about Keith and Dan . . . and it hurts. It hurts to talk about it, Peyton."

"I know it hurts, Luke . . . but she doesn't know that. She doesn't know what happened in school because she wasn't here," Peyton reminded him, "She was supposed to be . . . but she wasn't given a choice whether or not to be here. She just wants answers." She ran her hands through his hair. "She just wants to find out where she comes from. I understands how much this hurts you and your mom and you can take all the time you need to before you tell Buffy . . . but you have to tell her eventually. And you can't shut her out either. She's your _twin_ . . . there must be a connection between the two of you somehere. All you have to do is find it."

~*~

Buffy sat in a booth in Karen's Cafe, holding a mug of steaming coffee. She stared out the window next to her out into the street.

It had been a few days since her encounter with Lucas at the Rivercourt. Since then she hadn't really seen him-he'd been staying with Peyton a lot. She'd helped Karen out by watching Lily though.

Her mother still hadn't contacted her-neither had Willow or Xander or Giles either. She'd gotten one call though . . . she'd picked it up but no one had answered.

No more run-ins with the guy who sat at her table that day either. She'd talked to Karen about him and she'd said he sounded familiar . . . but Buffy still didn't know his name.

The bell on the door dinged as it opened and Buffy looked up. She recognized that trademark blond hair—Peyton. She smiled when she saw Buffy and sat down across from Buffy in the booth, setting her purse down on the table.

"Hey," Peyton said.

"Hey," Buffy returned, though not quite as enthusiastically. She stared down at her cup.

"So . . . how you been?" Peyton asked.

"Okay," Buffy sighed, "I'm just worried about my mom. She hasn't called in a while."

"You think something is wrong," Peyton said.

"I don't know," Buffy said, "It's just . . . she's been sick my whole life. But now it's getting worse. I just wish she'd call me." Buffy looked up. "She has cancer . . . and I don't want to lose her."

Peyton nodded, "I know how you feel. I was adopted . . . the legal way . . . and my adopted Mom was hit by a car when I was eight. Since then it's just been my dad and me. Last year, when I found out about my real mom, she died not long after I met her. Breast cancer. Trust me, I'm right there with you."

"It's hard . . ." Buffy said.

"Yes it is," Peyton agreed, "But it's easier with people around you to help you through it." Buffy nodded. "And don't pay any attention to Lucas. He hasn't had it any easier than the rest of us."

"He told you?" Buffy said.

"Please, he tells me everything," Peyton waved her hand.

"I don't know what I said but it must have made him really mad," Buffy said. "I was telling him about my jerk of a father Hank so I asked him about our dad. Lucas said that our dad was never really around either and I didn't want to meet him. He said he always had his uncle . . . but he died. I tried to ask him what happened to that uncle . . . but he got really angry and walked away."

Peyton sighed, "He did, did he?"

"Yeah. I just wonder what happened. It must have been awful," Buffy said, "Do you know what happened?"

Peyton froze like a deer in headlights, "Um . . . I don't really think it's my place to tell you. The ones to ask are either Lucas or Karen. It hurt them the most."

"Okay . . ." Buffy wasn't quite sure what to make of Peyton's response. It just seemed to her that everyone in this town was hiding something from her.

"I'd love to tell you more but—oh shit!" Peyton looked down at her watch, "I've gotta go meet Lucas somewhere."

"Oh . . . okay," Buffy said.

Peyton picked up her purse and stood up. Buffy looked down at the table. Peyton turned back, "Buffy?"

Buffy looked up.

"Just give them some time—Karen and Lucas. It's been a hard year. They'll open up eventually." Peyton told her. Buffy nodded.

~*~

"Hey California . . . we meet again," The guy from Karen's Cafe sat down next to Buffy where she sat on a bench in the park. "How's Tree Hill treating you?"  
"Can't complain," Buffy shrugged, "I was supposed to grow up here but stuff came up when I was younger."

"That's a shame . . . we might have known each other," He smiled again . . . Buffy thought she was going to melt.

She cleared her throat, trying to gain back her composure. "Um . . . I suppose still we keep bumping into each other we should probably introduce ourselves."

"That's a mighty fine idea," he nodded.

Buffy held out her hand, "I'm Buffy."

"Name's Jack," he replied, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you, Buffy. I've never met anyone with that name before."

"Yeah, I get that all the time," Buffy laughed nervously.

"Well, Buffy, I would love to stay and talk more with you . . . but there's something I have to do."

"Oh . . . okay," Buffy said.

Jake stood up. He turned to her. "What would you say if I invitedyou for coffee tomorrow? At the cafe where we first met?"

Buffy was surprised . . . not that he'd asked, but at the next words that came out of her mouth. "Sure."

"Great," Jake smiled. "How about, hmm . . . 11 tomorrow morning?"

"I'll be there," Buffy nodded, smiling as well. She stood up, walking away. As she left, she flipped her hair. Jake just smiled.

~*~

Buffy walked up to Peyton's house, knocking on the door. After several minutes and no answer, Buffy knocked again. Again nothing. She turned, raising her eyebrow as she saw Peyton's black convertible on the street. She tried knocking again . . . but there was no answer.

Looking around she sighed. She turned the doorknob, finding it unlocked, and went inside. "Hello? Peyton? It's Buffy . . . Lucas's sister . . ." She walked around the house, trying to find her brother's girlfriend. "Peyton?" No answer. She walked up the stairs. "Peyton?"

That's when she heard a voice. It was Peyton's voice . . . "Why yes, Mr. Scott, I would like that very much . . ." She heard giggling.

"Oh really soon-to-be-Mrs. Scott . . . I would like that very much too," This was Lucas's voice.

Buffy stopped . . . she didn't really want to interrupt them (or see anything that could scar her for life) . . . but she kinda wanted to talk to Peyton about Jake and some mother stuff.

She decided in a split second to knock on the door . . . and once she did that it didn't take long for her to get an answer. Peyton's shocked face appeared in the open doorway—thankfully she was still clothed.

"Buffy . . . hi," Peyton laughed. "What's up?"

Lucas appeared in the doorway. "Um . . . I was wondering if I could talk to you."

"Um . . .sure," Peyton looked at Lucas. "And since you're here . . . we have some news." Lucas walked up to Peyton and wrapped his arms around her waist. "We're engaged . . . and Lucas is moving in with me." Lucas and Peyton were smiling.

"That's . . . great," Buffy attemped to fake enthusiam. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Peyton said. Lucas nodded. "We want you to be in the wedding . . . as one of my bridesmaids!"

Whoa . . .

To Be Continued . . .


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